The Last Ship of the Sun
by Evil Editor
Summary: Long ago a special gunship fleet reigned supreme. Now a crew of treasure hunters are searching for the last one intact!
1. A new story begins

Author's Note: I am a super huge fan of Final Fantasy. Most of this story is based off of character profiles and abilities from Tactics Advance, but it's just as good as all the others. Disclaimer: I do not own the rights and privileges to Final Fantasy, Square, or anything that comes up in this story that needs a trademark. Thank you and enjoy!

Final Fantasy

The Last Ship of the Sun

Inside the crowded streets of Baguba lay several taverns. In one of them there were 4 people seated at one of the many tables. The atmosphere was noisy, and only they could hear what they were saying.

"I'm telling you Carlos is dead. His entire expedition got killed and the rest were arrested. He stuck his nose where it didn't belong." The voice was gruff, as Captain Ordaru of _The Silver Wasp_ had seen many fights, and also many taverns. The ale he drank was strong, but he could hold it for a long while now.

"He owes me some cash. I gave him a slice of my last job so he could go on that expedition. Somebody's got to pay for it." This man's voice was older. Captain Ries of the _Setting Sun_ was indeed older, but hadn't been captain for the same amount of time.

"He paid for it with his life you fool!" responded Ordaru. "I watched as the police took him away, and they killed him on the spot. I had to pay them a pretty penny to get out of it myself; just so I could arrange this little meeting with you."

"Stop wasting our time then and get on with it. We can't stay for too long in one city or else the police raid our ship. This had better be good enough for going all the way out here." This was Ries's first mate, a Vierra known as Janine. A rapier hung on her belt, apparently rusty but it still shone when put to the light.

"Calm down, Janine," said Ries. "If Carlos died telling you this, it's got to be very important."

"Aye," said Ordaru. "He gave me this." He handed over a stack of papers. There was a small photograph on top of the pile. "It's what he went searchin' for and found. But he told me that right after that he was attacked, and he had to leave it behind. No survivors. His ship destroyed too. He came in on foot, and had been traveling for the last few months that way."

Ries took the stack and looked at it briefly, before stashing it inside his jacket. "How much is this information worth to you?"

Ordaru didn't give it much thought. "Nothing. Carlos gave it to me for free, but he paid a lot for it. I just want rid of it." The talk then went on to lighter things, and later Ries and Janine left, to get back to their ship. Ordaru's bodyguard grunted. "Don't worry. They're taking it with them. We'll have another round and then we'll offski. I could use a drink after what they did to Carlos." The bodyguard shrugged, there were more things he could be worried about, but beer was still beer.

The captain and Janine got back to the _Setting Sun_. There was a fresh coat of graffiti on it, saying 'Get lost sunship!' They would just have to clear it up later. Inside the massive frame of Lorek, a mild mannered Bangaa, was sleeping by the wheel. Janine kicked him softly. "Get up we're going again." Lorek shifted himself, and shuffled off to the engine room. Ries took the wheel, and started up the ship. It lifted off from the port, and started off to cross the desert.

Ordaru at that moment was leaving the tavern, accompanied by his bodyguard. A shadow followed them. Ordaru turned around and brought out his gun. "That's illegal you know," said a silky voice. He turned around again. His bodyguard was lying in a pool of blood, and a vierra stood over him. She wore red robes, which matched the blood dripping off her sword. The _Setting Sun_ passed overhead, heading towards the desert. "Where is that ship going?" asked the vierra.

"I've never seen that ship before in my life," he said. _SHWISH_ His arm fell to the ground. It hurt.

The vierra looked down on him. "Tell me where they're going and it all stops for you."

"Alright. They're going to Muscadet."

She pierced him, and he fell to the ground dead. "Thank you." she said.


	2. Stolen Away

**Final Fantasy**

**The Last Ship of the Sun**

Marcus Cowell waited in the dark afterglow that gleamed in the city of Muscadet. He was waiting. For what? Someone would have asked. The answer was: anything. In his career Marcus had learned that the only way to do anything was to watch. Muscadet was not home to any major centers of commerce, but it was still very popular for travelers. Across the sea of landing platforms and hotels and lay a center of the arts, including a museum, an opera house, and a multi level amphitheater. Keeping an eye on everything took good eyes.

Two good pairs of eyes to be exact. The Cowell siblings were up and comers in the seedy underworld and they liked it like that. He stayed on top of his watch post, while his sister shook hands with doorknobs. She appeared from the background, her cloak hiding her knives from the moonlight.

"Did you find anything, Max?"

She smiled, "Get a load of this," she pulled out a bag, and revealed its contents. Two small pieces of sivril.

Marcus was impressed. "Where'd you find it?"

"Some house in the rich section, there is more still there but I need you to help get me in there."

"What's wrong, extra security, or something unpredictable?"

"The house has two weirdoes hanging around. Inside there's a magic sweep that happens once every ten minutes. We have seven before the next sweep and it realizes these are missing.

The two were down into the rich quarter in two minutes. The house where she got the sivril from was one of the best on the street. Two men were outside menacing any pedestrians that got close. Max had left a window open and they got in that way. The house was real nice, with fancy curtains and everything. The two found the safe and started unloading. Gold, papers, and fancy jewelry, even some crusite.

They were finished quickly. "How much time left?" asked Marcus.

"More than two minutes," said Max. "Let's get out of here." Their exit was interrupted by the two goons. They came in and went straight for the safe.

"What the hell!" Said the first one.

"Where'd it go?"

"She must have taken it with her to the opera house! Screw orders, we're taking her out!" They left at once through the front door.

As soon as the Cowell siblings were outside they looked at each other. "What are we going to do?" asked Marcus.

"What do you mean?"

"That girl, I think they want to kill her."

"Well?"

"We should help her out."

"Why?"

"Those guys look pretty rough. If she's got this kind of stuff here, maybe there's more where it came from."

"What, just run up to her, say: Presto! We saved your life; but we robbed your house and we want to know where the rest of it is?"

"We'll work on that after we save her life."

"Allright. I'm only doing this because my big brother thinks it's a good idea."

"Whatever. I have an idea."

In the shadows above the whole thing had been watched. A vierra had been waiting, she had been watching, and now she knew exactly what to do. Taking her bow, she went towards the opera house.

The opera house was packed that night, but it was intermission. Marcus and Maxine arrived with the crowd, disguised. They had found some fancy dresses at the house and Max was wearing one. Marcus was wearing a night robe he'd found which looked formal enough. "Allright, which one do we snatch?" said Max.

"We'll have to wait for the two goons to pick her out. If we find them, we find her." The two goons were not far off, pushing their way through the crowd. The siblings stayed close on their tail, not wanting to lose them.

The goons made their way to a young girl looking out at the city. "Hey Eska," said the first one, "Where'd you make off with the sivril huh?"

She looked frightened. "I don't have it with me, it's back at the house!"

"That's too bad," said the second one, "Because it ain't there anymore."

"So now we have to rough you up till you talk." They dragged her off.

"Now!" said Marcus. Max walked up behind them and bumped into them.

"Hey!" said the first one, "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," said Max innocently, "but you should see what he's up to." They turned around and Marcus was there, with his knightsword in hand. He drove it into the guy that was holding onto the girl. The man fell down, screaming. The other man pulled out his sword, but Max blocked him. "Let's split!" she said, and grabbed the girl.

"What are you doing?" asked the girl, still frightened.

"Long story, ask later!" said Max, with the guy following on their heels. The girl tripped as they were running down an alley.

"You're finished!" yelled the man, standing over her. He raised his sword up, and stopped. An arrow was protruding from his stomach. A second one punched through and landed inches away from the girl. Max spotted a vierra sighting again, aiming for the girl.

"Let's get out of here!" she picked up the girl as another arrow narrowly missed her.

They kept running until they reached the twins hiding spot. Marcus was there already, and the three caught their breath for a while. "Who the hell are you two and what are you doing with me?" said the girl.

"Marcus and Maxine Cowell, at your service," said Marcus, giving a mock bow, "But who exactly are you?"

"My name is Eska, that's all you need to know. I guess you want me to thank you for rescuing me."

"That would definitely be a start." said Max.

"Is that my dress?"

"Not anymore. You should also explain these." she pulled out the sivril.

"Oh no," she said, "We are so screwed."

"Why?" the two said as one.

"Those two would have told somebody they were missing. That means we're going to be hunted down until they find us and kill us."

"We have ways around that." said Marcus.

"How?"

"Put this on," Max through her a bundle of white mage's robes. "The perfect disguise."

"We'll hide out on the airstrip tonight, get some materials to last us a while, and then we'll stow away on the first ship we find going out of here."

Author's Note: More mystery! More action! But because I'm leaving for Germany you won't find out what happens until mid-July! Muahahahahahahahahahaha!


	3. The Sunfleet

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights of Square, Final Fantasy, or anything related.

Author's Note: Thanks for waiting, here's the next chapter.

**Final Fantasy**

**Last Ship of the Sun**

_The Setting Sun_ made its way over the dessert on its way towards Muscadet. Captain Ries was at the helm, watching the landscape go by. Lorek was pouring over maps in a corner, one eye lazily closing as he started to nod off. Many would shun such sleepy behavior, but Ries knew Lorek would only fall asleep if his job was finished.

Janine was looking over the records they'd received about Carlos' expedition. Naturally they would have gone north. This was all she could make out. She wasn't a navigator, but she was looking for a different set of clues. Had Carlos really found it?

Found what? A history lesson is in order. Ivalice was home to many ports, but once there had been one that stood above the rest. Known as the Fleet of the Sun, a great number of the most powerful airships roamed the skies. These sunships were infamously known for the prestige in battle. Unfortunately the reign of these ships could not last forever.

_The Setting Sun_ flew over another wreck. Naturally it was a sunship. What hadn't been taken by scavengers was now rusting over, boiling in the sun. Great holes were inside of it where the great cannons had ripped it into pieces in midair. This had been the fate of every last ship of the Fleet of the Sun.

Ries had found _The Setting Sun_ right before a mob did. He'd taken off and had been hunted from port to port because of it. The airship was no longer in mint condition, and the only recognizable portion of the ship was its signature bridge. One whole side of the hull had been replaced, and he'd changed the engines. Everywhere he went he had to be very careful, or else he might lose something else off the ship. No one cared if his ship got vandalized. Sometimes the police would even encourage it.

Muscadet would be no problem. They were going to stop there to ask a couple of contacts if they had heard what happened to Carlos and his crew. If they were lucky they could follow his trail and trace it all the way to the ultimate treasure. The final sunship, never before flown, but in perfect condition. Carlos had found it, but then he'd been killed. Ries needed to know why.

Night fell, and Janine found Ries still at the helm. "This could be it," she said. "If we find it, we'd be famous.

"That's not why I want to find it."

"The treasure inside it then?"

"No matter how much there is, that wouldn't impress me," he said. "Somebody already knows where it is, but when Carlos found it he opened up a can of worms. All those arrests. If we find the ship, maybe we'd find out what started all of this."

"I'd prefer treasure and fame. I can buy stuff with that."

Lorek wasn't sleeping anymore. "I'll take the helm Riessss." The bulky bangaa shuffled up and took it from the captain.

"So that's why you're always tired you lazy fool," said Ries smugly, "Always hauling the night shift."

"We'll land just before sunrise," said Janine, "We'd better be ready, I want to be out of there before the police try and lock us down again."


End file.
